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| *Excellence in Clinical Care * Excellence in Education *Excellence in Research | |||
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Mission of the Stark Diabetes Center
The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Diabetes Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch is committed to leadership in diabetes care, education and research. Strategic objectives of the center are: provide multidisciplinary, state-of-the-art health care to people with diabetes; develop a comprehensive education program that addresses diabetes both in the clinic and in the community; and foster basic research in diabetes on campus and develop best practices for translating basic research into behaviors at the community level. To achieve its aim of providing a uniquely transformative and integrative academic home for Clinical and Translational Science, the Center concentrates on three primary objectives:
To achieve the latter objective, the Center has developed a Community Outreach program with a core commitment to translational research. Translational research at the Stark Diabetes Center focuses on the process of applying discoveries generated during research in the laboratory and in preclinical studies to the development of trials and studies in humans and enhancing the adoption of preventive best practices in the community. The Community Outreach program is dedicated to: a) fostering collaborative partnerships and enhancing public trust in clinical and translational research, b) facilitating recruitment of research participants from the community, c) engaging the public and community providers, and d) establishing long-term relationships with community-based groups. As Associate Director for Community Outreach, Dr. Kirk L. Smith is responsible for implementing best practices for lifestyle interventions to prevent and control diabetics, including proper nutrition, exercise, self-testing of blood glucose levels and regularly scheduled visits to physicians and other providers. To facilitate these efforts, the Center collaborates with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health and Dr. Belinda Reininger, director of the community outreach division at the School of Public Health's regional campus in Brownsville, TX. In 2009, the Texas legislature voted to support and expand the outreach program through a $6 million grant provided through the Texas Department of State Health Services. That funding has allowed inauguration of the UT Community Outreach (UTCO) program, directed by Drs. Smith and Reininger, establishing community-based diabetes prevention and control programs in Galveston, Nueces, Cameron and Webb Counties. UTCO has undertaken a comprehensive program of disease prevention and control, employing locally recruited community nurses and community health workers (CHWs) to implement programs (education, physical activity and nutrition) proven effective in preventing and controlling diabetes. Under the supervision of preventive medicine physicians and public health experts from UTMB and the UTHSC-Houston School of Public Health, UTCO is tasked with bringing best practices for diabetes prevention and control to a projected 20,000 Texans, utilizing homes, community centers, churches, public schools and non-profit community-based partners to host lay-friendly classes in English and Spanish, aerobics and salsa sessions, walking groups, demonstration kitchens, health fairs, farmer's markets, etc., to reduce the prevalence and severity of diabetes. Through this integrated effort, UTCO is helping the state transition from a healthcare system based on expensive, technically complex treatments to a model of care focused on prevention -- a strategy that will reap significant benefits to Texas, not only in terms of a healthier and more productive population, but also in terms of substantial cost savings to Texas taxpayers. Since its launch on October 1, 2009, UTCO has experienced rapid growth and is already generating data that confirms the utility of the prevention model and its cost-saving strategy. Deliverables in Webb, Cameron, Nueces and Galveston Counties' service area thus far include:
Diabetes prevention, education, management, and awareness can best be accomplished through a partnership with the community and the academic medical institution. The State of Texas has appropriated funds to foster the academic/community partnership and to sustain this partnership in the fight against diabetes. This is a high yield partnership for a disease that seriously impacts the State not only through morbidity and mortality for Texans but also disability in the age group that comprises the prime work force of the State. To learn more about UT Community Outreach services and our local partners, please contact:
Local Partners: Jesse Tree, Fit-n-Fun, Galveston Independent School District, St. Vincent's House, Frontera de Salud
Local Partners: Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi, Christus Spohn, Banquete Independent School District, Gulf Coast Diabetes Initiative
Local Partners: Proyecto Juan Diego, Proyecto Digna, Brownsville Independent School District, City of Brownsville, Cameron County Parks &#amp; Recreation
Local Partners: Mercy Ministries of Laredo, City of Laredo |
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